A routine lab experiment opened a line of research no one had planned for.

On April 16, 1943, chemist Albert Hofmann at Sandoz Laboratories experienced the effects of LSD after re-examining a compound he had first synthesized years earlier. What began as a controlled research effort quickly shifted into something far less predictable, drawing attention to how certain chemicals could alter perception and cognition. In the years that followed, pharmaceutical companies, researchers, and governments would all grapple with how to study, regulate, and potentially use these compounds, linking one unexpected moment in a lab to decades of medical research, policy debates, and renewed biotech interest.

From bsnsHistory, the daily podcast about the moments when business quietly reshaped the world.

Written and hosted by Ron Trucks. Research and editing by Rodney Russ. Sound design by Angela Cahoy. Music by Cody Martin and Soundstripe.

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